The invention is particularly concerned with a system for the handling of toxic and non-toxic waste materials. The invention comprises a method and apparatus which involve the use of a rotary kiln with the waste material being incinerated as it moves through the kiln.
Various attempts have been made to dispose of waste materials through the use of incinerators. Such attempts have included rotary kilns or furnaces of a similar nature, and reference is made to Wheildon U.S. Pat. No. 723,959; Duerp, et al. U.S. Pat. No. 2,212,062; Wallerstedt, et al. U.S. Pat. No. 2,501,977; Zinn U.S. Pat. No. 3,436,061; Lerner, et al. U.S. Pat. No. 3,584,609; and Koyanagi U.S. Pat. No. 3,861,336 as illustrative of such prior attempts.
Although disposal of waste materials with systems of the type described in the prior art has been satisfactory to some extent, severe problems had not been solved. These problems relate to the fact that waste accumulates at a rate which is difficult to control so that there is a constant need for more efficient systems for waste disposal. Furthermore, hazardous wastes have recently become much more significant problems, and effective means for disposing of wastes of this type are particularly desirable.